Want Email Responses? Incite Anxiety

Anxiety and guilt are the biggest triggers for UK consumers when it comes to marketing techniques, research has revealed.

Messages that invoke the troubling feelings were most likely to prompt responses from British consumers, while Americans were found to respond best to achievement and anxiety.

The analysis from marketing language firm Persado found that while Brits were prepared to interact when faced with anxious feelings, the rest of Europe responded best to language invoking gratification and gratitude.

The results were found through studying the subject lines and opening stats of over 3,500 emails sent by firms including British Airways, Dell, and Gap.

The anxiety-inducing emails included phrases such as “don’t forget” and “important update”. The emails prompting guilty feelings implied consumers would regret not taking action with phrases including “too good to miss” and “don’t ignore this”.

The phrases which prompted most American reactions were much more positive, and include “you’ve earned it”, while the mainland European phrases suggesting gratitude included “we appreciate your loyalty”.

“These data points lay bare the fact that there is more than an element of truth in some of the broader stereotypes associated with consumers across the UK, USA and Europe,”said Persado Co-Founder Assaf Baciu.

“Of course, while this should prove useful at a top level, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Marketers should look to put themselves in a position to share a message that resonates not just by country, region or town, but on an individual basis. Ultimately, the better marketers can engage with every customer, the more successful they will be.”